One of the holiest towns on the road along the Ganga, it is in Devprayag that the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda confluence to take on the majestic and mighty form of the Ganga. AutoCar (Nov. ’08) along with Toyota discover this serene town.
Devprayag, a peaceful and simple town is the ideal getaway for those who find Rishikesh with its busy bazaars too frenetic. Around 287 kms from Delhi, one follows the route from the capital to Ghaziabad – Modinagar – Meerut – Muzaffarnagar – Roorkee – Haridwar – Shivpuri – Camp Silver Sands finally to Devprayag, the whole journey takes approx. 7.5 hours.
The earlier one drives out of Delhi the better it is says AutoCar (Nov. ’08). One invariably finds traffic in Khatuli and Roorkee but once you cross Ram Jhulla, the river views are refreshing. Also there have been innumerable landslides on the first 30km from Rishikesh to Devprayag so one has to drive slowly. However the road is quite good after Camp Silver Sands and from there on it’s a pleasant drive to Devprayag.
This holy little town may be mentioned in the Ramayan but it sure is keeping up wit the times. A telling sign is a cyber café advertisement just next to a rusting old post-box marvels Rishaad Saam from AutoCar (Nov. ’08). He relates an incident where a sadhu tells him that ‘When I am bathing in the river for my morning prayers, I put my mobile on silent mode!’
Here, in Devprayag time takes on its own meaning. The bazaars have little alleyways where one can find lethargic cows, giggling school children racing each other and holy men making their way to pray at the river.
The coming together of the two rivers also makes for a very picturesque sight as one can actually see the Bhagirathi’s olive green water merge with the bottle-green of the Alaknanda. The whole point of going to Devprayag is to have a dip at the spot where these two rivers meet. The water is very cold and the current pulls like an SUV says Saam and for this very reason there are chains that you have to hold as you take your dip.
All in all, Devprayag is a lovely place to unwind, explore ancient temples and get a glimpse of holy India. Ramkund Resorts is a decent place to stay vouches AutoCar (Nov. ’08), but expect the basics and nothing beyond it cautions.
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